Environmental Impact Of Fossil-fuel Based Thermal Power Plants

Indian Power Sector at a Glance

Fuel
Total Thermal Coal

MW
140206.18 120,103.38

%age
66.99 57.38

Gas
Oil Hydro (Renewable) Nuclear RES (MNRE) Total
As on 31-10-2012 Source: CEA

18,903.05
1,199.75 39,291.40 4,780.00 24,998.46 2,09,276.04

9.03
0.57 18.77 2.28 11.94 100.00

Fossil fuel reserves in India Units billion tons million tons Billion cubic metres Quantity 70 727 623 Reserve/production ratio 259 21 28

Coal Oil Gas

(Source: Economic Survey )

Quality of Indian coals used in power plants: Mineral matter (ash) content - 27% to 42% Moisture content - 7 to 20% Volatile matter - 20-30% Gross calorific values - 3200 kcal/kg to 4800 kcal/kg.

HGI values > 45

Initial deformation temperature > 1150 C The hemispherical temperature > 1400 C Sulphur content is <1% Nitrogen content <1%

Raw natural gas typically consists primarily of methane (CH4), and also contains varying amounts of Ethane (C2H6), propane (C3H8), normal butane, pentanes, acid gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), Other gases like nitrogen (N2) and helium (He), Water, Liquid hydrocarbons and Mercury.

The wide range of liquid fuels used in boilers and furnaces is covered by the term fuel oil. Fuel Characteristics (Oil)

SL.No. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Characteristics Total sulphur content Gross calorific value Flash point (min) Water content by volume (Max) Sediment by weight (Max) Asphaltene content by weight (Max)

Heavy FurnaceOil 4.5% Max.

LSHS 1.0% max.

HPS 4.5% max 9500 (min)

Of the order of 11000

66 deg.C 1.0% 0.25% 2.5% 370

Of the order of 11000

1.0% 0.25% 2.5% 1809

1.0% 0.25% 2.5% 500

Kinematic viscosity in centistrokes at 500 Ash content by weight

Acidity Pour point Sodium content Vanadium content Specific heat below

8.
9. 10. 11. 12. 13.

0.1%
Nil ----25 ppm ---

0.05%
Nil 57 deg.C --25 ppm 0.65

0.1%
Nil 72 deg.C 25 ppm ---

Environmental Impacts

Multi-pronged effects :
The in-plant environment affected by the fossil fuel combustion characteristics and their impact on boiler availability and the handling requirements for gaseous

and solid emissions produced from the combustion process.

The atmospheric or global environment, as influenced by stack emissions of acid rain and greenhouse gases, air toxics and particulate matter, most of which are subject to control by legislation.

The local plant environment, which involves the delivery, handling and storage of the fuel and the handling of solid and liquid effluents from the flue gas cleaning process.

Environmental Impacts Sulphur dioxide (SO2): Thermal power plants emit sulphur dioxide quantities about one tenth of the coal burnt by them. Average emissions per unit of electricity are 0.0069 Gg. As per the national ambient air standards the concentration of SO2 should not exceed 80 g/m3 . Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) Depending on nitrogen content, the fuel NOx can constitute 10 to 70 percent of total NOx emission. Nitric oxide emission per unit of electricity is estimated as approximately 0.00056 Gg.
NO2 (ppm) 1.6-5 Length of exposure Observed effect(s) Species Human subjects w/subjects w/chronic respiratory disease Healthy human subjects Human occupational exposure

2 minutes

Increased airway resistance Decreased diffusion capacity Increase in blood lipids, lipoproteins and cholestrol

15 minutes

0.4-2.7

180 days

Summary of toxic effects of nitrogen dioxide (long and short-term intermittent doses) (Source: Coffin and Sokinger, 1987)

Environmental Impacts CO2 as such is not considered as a pollutant that can affect health. However, increased CO2 level in atmosphere may increase the global temperature due to the greenhouse effect. Average CO emission per unit of electricity is 1.04 Gig grams (Gg). Present calculations show that soot emissions are produced at a rate of 22.0 Gg per year from Indian thermal power plants. Disposal of fly ash and scrubber sludge result in risk associated with leachate and ground water contamination.

1.) Land use and waste management

Surface mining and in-situ processing requires extensive land use. Mining, processing and waste disposal require land to be withdrawn from traditional uses, and therefore should avoid high density population areas
Oil shale mining reduces the original ecosystem diversity with habitats supporting a variety of plants and animals. After mining the land has to be reclaimed. However, this process takes time and cannot necessarily re-establish the original biodiversity.

Disposal of mining wastes, spent oil shale (including semi-coke) and combustion ashes needs additional land use.
According to the study of the European Academies Science Advisory Council, after processing, the waste material occupies a greater volume than the material extracted, and therefore cannot be wholly disposed underground. According to this, production of a barrel of shale oil can generate up to 1.5 tons of semi-coke, which may occupy up to 25 % greater volume than the original shale. The mining and processing of 1000 million tons of oil shale in Estonia has created about 360-370 million tons of solid waste, of which 90 million tons is a mining waste, 7080 million tons is a semi-coke, and 200 million tons are combustion ashes. The waste material may consist of several pollutants including sulfates, heavy metals, and polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), some of which are toxic and carcinogenic. To avoid contamination of the groundwater, the solid waste from the thermal treatment process is disposed in an open dump (landfill or "heaps"), not underground.

As semi-coke consists of, in addition to minerals, up to 10 % organics that may pose hazard to the environment owing to leaching of toxic compounds as well as to the possibility of self-ignition

Ash makes the soil alkaline

2.) Water management Mining influences the water runoff pattern of the area affected. The thermal processing of oil shale needs water for quenching hot products and the control of dust.. Depending on technology, above-ground retorting uses between one and five barrels of water per barrel of produced shale oil In situ processing, according to one estimate, uses about one-tenth as much water. Water represents the major vector of transfer of oil shale industry pollutants. One environmental issue is to prevent noxious materials leaching from spent shale into the water supply .The oil shale processing is accompanied by the formation of process waters and waste waters containing phenols, tar and several other products, heavily separable and toxic to the environment. Water leaching from ash ponds in coal plants also cause ground water pollution due to B, As and Hg. Temperature difference in the exhaust water and ambient causes disturbance in the aquatic life - flora and fauna

3.) Air pollution management Burning coal is a leading cause of smog, acid,rain, global warming, and air toxics. In an average year, a typical coal plant generates: 3,700,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), the primary human cause of global warming--as much carbon dioxide as cutting down 161 million trees. 10,000 tons of sulfur dioxide (SO2), which causes acid rain that damages forests, lakes, and buildings, and forms small airborne particles that can penetrate deep into lungs. 500 tons of small airborne particles, which can cause chronic bronchitis, aggravated asthma, and premature death, as well as haze obstructing visibility. 10,200 tons of nitrogen oxide (NOx), as much as would be emitted by half a million late-model cars. NOx leads to formation of ozone (smog) which inflames the lungs, burning through lung tissue making people more susceptible to respiratory illness. 720 tons of carbon monoxide (CO), which causes headaches and place additional stress on people with heart disease. 220 tons of hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds (VOC), which form ozone. 170 pounds of mercury, where just 1/70th of a teaspoon deposited on a 25-acre lake can make the fish unsafe to eat. 225 pounds of arsenic, which will cause cancer in one out of 100 people who drink water containing 50 parts per billion. 114 pounds of lead, 4 pounds of cadmium, other toxic heavy metals, and trace amounts of uranium.

Health risks 1. Thermal Power plant workers are subject to respiratory irritation and diseases from coal dust, hearing loss from noise and other occupational injuries. Boiler room workers may suffer from the diseases of the upper respiratory tract, from bronchitis and from conjunctivitis caused by vanadium compounds (the dust given off following oil combustion) and sulphur dioxide. The population in surrounding areas, the principal health risk is from exposure from SO2, CO, NOx, hydrocarbons, fly ash, polycyclic organic matter, trace metals and radio-nuclides. The consequences are respiratory diseases, toxicity and cancer.

2.

3.

General Observations
1. Most power plants in India are running at an efficiency rate of 20-30%, which is lower than the efficiency rates of 35-40% in the US. The reason for inefficient combustion should be probed and corrective measures taken to modernize Indias plants. These actions will reduce national emissions as well as increase electricity production. 2. Dispersion and transport of emitted greenhouse gases and other pollutants over the entire Indian region need to be mapped to better understand the impact on the climate, as well as on human, animal, plant, and ecological systems. 3. Further research is needed on population exposure to these polluting gases. Pollutants effects and power plant density need to be studied. 4. The emissions of various pollutants have been calculated without any control measures as well as with the application of different control devices. In the case of coal, ESPs have been considered for control of particulate matter. No control measures are considered for fuel oil (low sulphur) based power plants. 5. Analyses of detailed air characteristics and associated meteorological parameters, as well as emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants from energy activities in India, will help climate modelling and understanding the impact of these emissions on Indias climate, human and plant health, and agriculture.

A FEW MEASURES TO REDUCE THE IMPACTS

Coal beneficiation reduces ash content as per MoEF gazette dated July 3, 1998; on and from 1st day of June 2001 the following coal based thermal power plants shall use raw or blended or beneficiated coal with ash content not exceeding 34% on an annual average basis:
(a) any thermal power located beyond 1000 km from pit head (b) any thermal power plant located in urban area or sensitive area or critically polluted area irrespective of their distance from pit head except any pit-head power plant

Coal grinding, pulverising, washing Fluidised bed (removes upto 90% of suphur by absorption in the lime bed) pressurised fluidised bed fluidised bed boiler, heat recovery steam generation, exhaust gas power generation : efficiency of 44% IGCC recovers sulphur and higher efficiency (~43%) low NOx burners, FGD, ESP Combined cycle gas power plants improve efficiency through heat recovery Water treatment facility for ash pond decant has reduced water requirement from 180L to 150L per unit of electricity